Funny Coincidences

[weatherc]

I find the little coincidences in life to be amusing. Here's one of my favorites that happened to me:

When I was in college, I once got a speeding ticket on my way to work. Of course, when I got to work, I vented about it to my co-workers. One of the co-workers said to me, "Oh, I'll never get caught speeding around here. I know where all the cops are."

I took on a sinister expression, pointed straight at him, and said, "You just wait. You'll be next!"

He laughed at me, insisting it wouldn't happen, and then I forgot about it.

Two or three days later, he stormed into work, holding a police citation in his hand, saying, "I have a serious bone to pick with you!" It turned out that he had just been given a speeding ticket.

The kicker is that he was pulled over about half a mile from his house. When the officer that pulled him over saw the address on my co-worker's license, he said, "You should know better than to speed around here. You live here."

[Swift]

I have two funny coincidence stories:

The first was when I was in college. I was working with a local environmental group and was manning an information table at a street fair. This mid-aged woman comes up to the table and asks if I am _____ (my real name). I take a good look at her and tell her she does look familiar. She says she is Mrs. Harriston, my third grade teacher and at that point I recognize her. She hadn't changed that much in 10 years or so, but I had gone from being 9 years old to being about 20 and had grown a beard. And this wasn't some small town, this was New York City, and it wasn't even in the same borough that I went to grade school.

The second was when I was in graduate school. My younger cousin told me that her best friend from high school was going to Brown, where I was going, and that maybe I'd run into her. I was like, sure, there are only 5000 students or so. A couple of months into the school year, I went to lunch one day, sat down next to this woman, and started talking. "Oh, your from Teaneck, I have a cousin who's from Teaneck" - you can figure out the rest.

[C18H27NO3]

About 10 years ago I lived in Richmond, VA. The company I worked for transfered me to Allentown, PA.

The people who bought our house were moving to Richmond from Allentown!

[Fazor]

The first was when I was in college. I was working with a local environmental group and was manning an information table at a street fair. This mid-aged woman comes up to the table and asks if I am _____ (my real name). I take a good look at her and tell her she does look familiar. She says she is Mrs. Harriston, my third grade teacher and at that point I recognize her. She hadn't changed that much in 10 years or so, but I had gone from being 9 years old to being about 20 and had grown a beard. And this wasn't some small town, this was New York City, and it wasn't even in the same borough that I went to grade school.

I have a similar story, altho it ends much more tragically. I grew up in central ohio and went to school in pittsburgh pa. a few months after i moved back to ohio i was visiting some friends in pittsburgh who were having a party. halfway through the night this drop-dead gorgous blonde comes up to me and asks "you went to pickerington highschool, didn't you?". half drunk and amazed/confused, i said "uh, yeah". she introduced herself and i recognized the name but had never known who she was. anyway i was amazed that a girl as popular as her even knew my name, let alone recognized me 300 miles from home.

Anyway, about a week later she was back in ohio for the weekend, and was riding home late at night with her boyfriend. he was driving, but they were both drunk. long story short, he came left of center and hit another car head on and she died. it was kind of a weird feeling. had i not been at the party, i would have heard the news and been like "just another stupid drunk driver". but instead all i could think was "i just talked to her a week ago".

[Larry Jacks]

During the Korean War, my uncle Paul was a medic. He and his surgeon were captured when the Chinese entered the war. At first, they were about to be executed until a Marine Corsair pilot flying overhead saw what was happening and began straffing around their position. Uncle Paul and the medic spent the rest of the war (about 30 months) as POWs. After the war, the surgeon was in San Diego and met a Marine. They were talking about their wartime experiences. It soon became obvious that the Marine was the one in the Corsair that day. Needless to say, Uncle Paul, the surgeon, and the Corsair pilot became very good friends.

On a more personal note, back in 1990, I was stationed on a small island in the Aleutians (Shemya). I was assigned a trainer to teach me my new job. When we were introduced to one another, we found out that we'd live just a few doors apart back in Colorado Springs. My sons delivered newspapers to their home, and his son happened to be at the hospital in the same room when my son had an operation. Small world.

[Lianachan]

Two spring straight to mind:

Years ago, I got a train in Glasgow and the ticket number was the same as my phone number.

Last week, I flew to and from London from up here on 3 flights, on three different kinds of aircraft operated by 2 different airlines. I had the same seat number on every flight.

[Doodler]

Had my first dent on my new car on the day the payment book arrived in the mail.

[TheOncomingStorm]

do not know how funny this is but last thursday my father shows after 27 years, later that night on ER one of the doctors father shows up after being gone for over 30 years.

[Doodler]

do not know how funny this is but last thursday my father shows after 27 years, later that night on ER on the doctors father shows up after being gone for over 30 years.

So much for truth being estrangeder than fiction.

[Trebuchet]

In the 1970's I was in the military stationed in Korea. I came home on leave and an old college buddy came to visit. Naturally we stayed up most of the night talking about "old times" (as old as 3-4 years before!) and people we'd known. On guy who came to mind was someone we'd known only slightly, a friend of a friend, from our sophomore year. We couldn't remember his name.

When I got back to Korea I couldn't stop thinking about this. I'd see someone with a similar style of glasses, or hair color, or something, and it would remind me. What was the name? This really bugged me for about a month, until one day when I was going to lunch I physically bumped into the guy at the mess hall.

I still couldn't remember his name and had to ask him. I remember it now, though.

[Swift]

do not know how funny this is but last thursday my father shows after 27 years, later that night on ER one of the doctors father shows up after being gone for over 30 years.

A small derail, and if too personal, you should not answer, but you saw your father for the first time in 27 years last week!?! All I can say is wow!

[TheOncomingStorm]

A small derail, and if too personal, you should not answer, but you saw your father for the first time in 27 years last week!?! All I can say is wow!

well the thing is since I was three we lived with my grandparents (both deceased now) so my grandfather more a father figure, and it was the fact he did not tell anybody he was coming that shocked the us the most.

[Jeff Root]

My sister just told me that on Monday morning she had a dream
about a relative of her husband who, as far as she remembers,
she had never dreamed before. She said he died in the dream.
She said he also died in reality on Monday, though she hadn't
found out what time of the day it happened. His funeral is
tomorrow morning.

I suspect a deja-vu-like effect, but I didn't tell her that, and
have no objective evidence one way or the other.

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

[Maksutov]

It's Hyperdimensional Design, I Tell You! And I used to Drive a Mercury, so I Know!

[TheOncomingStorm]

do not if this a coincidence or a just odd story but one night when I was in university we went over the pub and a couple of profs joined us and was talking to one about how I was interested in exo planets after she said she once was working at berkeley as a post doc and her office was right next to Geoff Marcys.

[tdvance]

My parents' names are Douglas and Donna Vance. Mom went to see a play in a nearby town, and sat beside a woman who introduced herself as Donna Vance. If that wasn't enough of a coincidence, the woman started talking about her husband, Doug.

More recently, I had a dream two nights ago that mom was getting married and leaving the country (which of course would be a shock to dad who's still married to her). By coincidence, I called her yesterday and told her of the dream, and she said she had just dreamed she was getting married. (but no "leaving the country").

Todd

[Don1617]

About a year ago I got news from an old friend from school, when going to meet with my old friend someone ran into me and I got coffee all over my new dress. 5 minutes later I meet up with my friend and the rest of the day want fine. I told this story to my friend the next day, and i described the guy to her, it turned out to be her ex-boyfriend that spilt his coffee on me. I hadn't see him the first day I meet my friend because they broke up the same day and i didn't know.